Case Study: How Twin Technology Helped a UK Charity Modernise Its IT

Charities face a unique set of IT challenges. The need to demonstrate responsible use of donor funds means technology investment is always scrutinised. Teams are often a mix of paid staff and volunteers using a wide range of personal devices. Data protection obligations are significant — charities hold sensitive beneficiary information that must be properly secured. And IT budgets are typically modest.
When a UK charity providing support services to local families approached Twin Technology in late 2024, they were facing all of these challenges simultaneously.

The Situation

The charity had grown significantly over the previous five years, adding staff and expanding its services. Its IT infrastructure hadn’t kept pace. The team was working across a mix of old desktop computers, personal laptops and a legacy on-premise server that had become unreliable. There was no formal backup process, no multi-factor authentication on any accounts, and the organisation held no cybersecurity certification — which was becoming a barrier to accessing certain funding streams.
The charity’s director described the situation plainly: ‘Our technology was holding us back. Staff were losing time to IT problems every week, and we knew our security wasn’t good enough — but we didn’t know where to start or how to fund the changes we needed.’

The Approach

Twin Technology began with a comprehensive IT audit — documenting the existing infrastructure, identifying security vulnerabilities, and understanding how staff actually used technology day to day. Rather than proposing an expensive wholesale replacement, we developed a phased plan that prioritised the highest-impact improvements first and spread the cost across 12 months.

Phase one focused on the critical foundations:
  • Migration from the legacy server to Microsoft 365, giving all staff access to email, documents and communication tools from any device
  • Implementation of multi-factor authentication across all accounts
  • Deployment of endpoint protection on all staff devices
  • A verified cloud backup solution replacing the unreliable on-premise backup
Phase two addressed the longer-term modernisation goals: a Cyber Essentials certification programme, an acceptable use policy for volunteers, and a device refresh plan that prioritised the oldest and most problematic hardware.

The Results

Twelve months on, the difference is tangible. The charity achieved Cyber Essentials certification — unlocking access to funding streams that had previously been closed to them and satisfying due diligence requirements from two new corporate partners. Staff report significantly fewer IT problems, and the hybrid working capability provided by Microsoft 365 has enabled the charity to recruit more flexibly.

The cost of the managed IT support contract — covering monitoring, helpdesk support, patch management and strategic advice — is less than the charity was previously spending on reactive repairs and emergency support calls. The director’s verdict: ‘Twin Technology understood our constraints and worked with us rather than at us. We got better IT for less money, and we’ve got a partner we can call when we need help.’

IT Support for Charities — What We Offer

Twin Technology supports charities and not-for-profit organisations across the UK. We understand the unique pressures of the sector — the need to demonstrate value, the mixed technology environments, the data protection obligations, and the importance of building something sustainable on a limited budget. We offer preferential pricing for registered charities and can work within your budget cycle to spread costs sensibly.

Is your charity's IT holding you back?

Talk to Twin Technology about how we can help. Call 01923 228820 or email sales@twintechnology.co.uk. Preferential rates available for registered charities across the UK.
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